The NMHU Softball team split the second double header in their four-game series against the Skyhawks of Fort Lewis College, on 4/15, at Brandt Field, in Las Vegas, N.M. The Cowgirls earned a 2-2 split in their final four-game home series of the season against RMAC contenders Fort Lewis. The Cowgirls came back from an 8-4 deficit, put up eight runs in the fourth inning and went on to take game one by the final score of 15-9. In game two, the Skyhawks took an early lead in game two and finished the game to win 6-3. Sunday's double header was Senior Day for the Cowgirls and they honored senior
Alisha Perry in between games for her contributions to Cowgirl Softball. With the split against the Skyhawks, the Cowgirls, led by Head Coach Shellie Broyles, improve to a 16-20 record in the RMAC and 24-26 in overall play.
The Cowgirls got their final home double header off to a great start by scoring first in game one. They put up three runs on three hits in the top of the second inning.
Katie Kerr got the scoring started with an RBI single to right field that allowed
Brittany Potter cross home plate. Then
Halie Thompson scored from second base when
Molly McDougall hit an RBI single to right-center field.
Katie Kerr was allowed to cross home plate from third base on an illegal pitch by Fort Lewis.
Fort Lewis took the lead in the top of the third inning with four runs on six hits. The Cowgirls answered in the bottom half of the third inning, scoring one run to tie the game up at four apiece.
Lynette Directo stole second base and then was allowed to score on the errant throw by the Skyhawks' catcher. Fort Lewis regained the lead in the top of the fourth inning, scoring four runs on five hits to take the 8-4 advantage.
Then the Cowgirls' bats caught fire in the bottom of the fourth inning. They scored eight runs on seven hits and took advantage of two errors by the Skyhawks. Six Cowgirls had RBIs, including a two-RBI single by
Lynette Directo and a two-RBI double by
Jenelle Klassen. After four innings of play the Cowgirls were in the lead 12-8.
The Cowgirls picked up another run in the bottom of the fifth inning when
Devon Paiz scored off of a sacrifice fly to left field by
Brittany Potter. Fort Lewis added another run to the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning to make the score 13-9 Cowgirls. The Cowgirls picked up two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when
Molly McDougall hit a two-run homerun over the wall in right-center field. The Skyhawks managed to get two hits in the seventh inning but left both base runners stranded and the Cowgirls ended up victorious in game one, 15-9.
Jessica Brink (10-6) was credited with the win in game one for the Cowgirls. She threw a complete seven innings from the pitcher's circle and faced 34 batters. Brink allowed five runs on 11 hits, and struck out four batters. She was relieved by
Jenelle Klassen in the fourth inning but re-entered in the fourth inning with no outs to complete the game.
Jenelle Klassen made a brief relief appearance in the fourth inning from the pitcher's circle. She allowed four runs on five hits and faced five batters.
Jessica Brink was brought back into the game to take over from Klassen.
The Cowgirls' offense was on fire in game one. They combined for a .441 team batting average, with 15 runs from 15 hits and 13 RBIs. They hit four doubles, one homerun and stole three bases.
Molly McDougall,
Lynette Directo, and
Halie Thompson were the offensive leaders in game one for the Cowgirls. McDougall finished the game a perfect 4-4 at the plate, with four RBIs, two runs scored, and a two-run homerun. Directo was 2-3 from the batter's box, drew a walk, scored two runs, had two RBIs, and stole two bases. Thompson went 1-3 at the plate, with three runs scored, a stolen base, and hit a double.
In the second game of the day, the Skyhawks were looking to avenge their game one loss. They got off to a fast start, scoring three runs on five hits in the first inning to take the 3-0 lead. The Skyhawks added to their lead in the top of the third inning with one run from two hits. The Cowgirls finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Lynette Directo led off the inning with a solo homerun over the right field wall. After four innings of play the Skyhawks were in the lead 4-1.
Fort Lewis extended their lead to 6-1 in the top of the fifth inning. They got two runs on two hits and an error by the Cowgirls. The Cowgirls picked up their second run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Brittany Potter hit a rocket down the left-field line, scoring
Alisha Perry from third base with her RBI single. With the Skyhawks in the lead 6-2, the Cowgirls stepped up trying to salvage the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. They managed to get a few base runners on and
Devon Paiz scored from third base on a wild pitch. The Skyhawks were able to get the final out before the Cowgirl could do any more damage and Fort Lewis won game two 6-3.
Erica Wieck (5-13) earned the loss in game two for the Cowgirls. She threw five innings from the pitcher's circle and faced 27 batters. Wieck allowed six runs on 10 hits, but only five of the runs were earned. She struck out three batters and walked two.
Jessica Brink was brought on to relieve Wieck in the sixth inning. She threw two innings from the pitcher's circle and faced seven batters. Brink allowed no runs on only one hit and struck out one batter.
The Cowgirls' offense struggled a bit in game two. They combined for a .286 team batting average, with three runs on eight hits, one double, and a homerun.
Devon Paiz and
Lynette Directo were the offensive leaders in game two for the Cowgirls. Paiz finished the game 2-3 at the plate, drew one walk, hit a double, and scored a run. Directo was 1-3 at the plate, drew a walk, scored one run, had an RBI, and hit a solo homerun.
The Cowgirls played the day's double headers in black jerseys with pink lettering in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness for the Community First Bank of Las Vegas' Pink-Out series. They honored senior
Alisha Perry between games for her contributions to Cowgirl Softball. With their win in Sunday's double header, the Cowgirls have now quadrupled their win total from last season.
The Cowgirls will continue conference action, on 4/21-22, as they travel to Alamosa, Colo., to take on their fierce rivals the Grizzlies of Adams State College in their final four-game series of the 2012 season. The Grizzlies are currently in ninth place in the RMAC with a 16-18 conference record and 20-22 in overall play. Game one on 4/21 is set to begin at 12 pm and game one is slated to start at 11 am. Game two of both double headers will begin shortly after the completion of the game one. If you can't make it up to Alamosa to watch the Cowgirls in action, you can watch the Live Stats
HERE.
Click
HERE For Complete Game One Stats
Click
HERE For Complete Game Two Stats
GO COWGIRLS!!!
